Method and apparatus for cutting of fabric

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein provide an cutting system for cutting a fabric. In various embodiments, a stabilizing material may be disposed on one or both sides of the fabric during the cutting operation. The stabilizing material may prevent/reduce stretching/elongation of the fabric to facilitate achieving precise cutting dimensions (e.g., cutting length). In some embodiments, the stabilizing material may be paper.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/695,215, filed Aug. 30, 2012, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ULTRASONIC CUTTING OF FABRIC,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to the field of textiles and apparel, and, more specifically, to cutting of fabric.

BACKGROUND

Fabric is often cut in the middle of a portion of fabric, such as to cut openings for pockets and the like. However, the cutters cause the fabric to stretch, creating elongation of the fabric. The elongation prevents a precise cutting length from being achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates perspective view of a cutting system with a top layer and bottom layer of stabilizing material in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the cutting system from FIG. 1A while cutting a fabric in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an ultrasonic cutting system in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.

The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments.

The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.

For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “A/B” or in the form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.

The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous, and are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).

With respect to the use of any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

In various embodiments, methods, apparatuses, and systems for cutting of a fabric are provided. In exemplary embodiments, a computing device may be endowed with one or more components of the disclosed apparatuses and/or systems and may be employed to perform one or more methods as disclosed herein.

Embodiments herein provide a cutting system for cutting a fabric. In various embodiments, a stabilizing material may be disposed on one or both sides of the fabric during the cutting operation. The stabilizing material may prevent/reduce stretching/elongation of the fabric to facilitate achieving precise cutting dimensions (e.g., cutting length).

The stabilizing material may be any suitable material, such as paper and/or fabric. In some embodiments, the stabilizing material may be more rigid than the fabric to be cut. Additionally, or alternatively, the stabilizing material may have a low coefficient of friction to allow the stabilizing material to slide relative to the fabric, thereby preventing/reducing stretching of the fabric. The stabilizing material may be cut during cutting of the fabric.

In various embodiments, the cutting system may include a cutting machine having a cutting element configured to selectively engage the fabric in a cutting region of the cutting machine. In some embodiments, the cutting machine may be an ultrasonic cutting machine. The ultrasonic cutting machine may vibrate the cutting element at an ultrasonic frequency to facilitate cutting of the fabric. For example, the ultrasonic cutting machine may include an ultrasonic horn that applies ultrasonic energy to one or more components of the cutting system, such as the cutting element and/or cutting platform.

In various embodiments, the cutting element may have any suitable configuration for cutting the fabric. In some embodiments, the cutting element of the may be a cutting wheel. The cutting wheel may include one or more ridges on the surface of the wheel for cutting the fabric. The ridges may have any suitable shape, such as straight to form linear cuts in the fabric, or shaped to form non-linear cuts in the fabric. Other embodiments of the cutting system may include another type of cutting element, such as a laser cutter or sharpened blade. The cutting element may be configured to form linear or non-linear (e.g., shaped) cuts.

In various embodiments, the cutting system may further include a back puller wheel to pull the stabilizing material and/or fabric through the cutting region of the cutting machine (e.g., along a cutting surface of a cutting platform).

The cutting element may selectively engage the fabric to make one or more cuts in the fabric. For example, the cutting element may be actuated (e.g., lowered) to contact the fabric. The cuts may be made along a cutting line and may have a cut length. The one or more cuts may be used to create respective openings for a garment formed by the fabric, such as one or more zippered openings, pockets, etc.

The back puller may apply a pulling force to the fabric as it feeds the fabric along the cutting surface. Additionally, the cutting element may apply downward force on the fabric against the cutting surface. In conventional ultrasonic cutters, the pulling force and/or downward force may cause the fabric to stretch, which may prevent a precise cut length from being achieved. The stabilizing material as described herein may prevent the fabric from stretching significantly during the cutting operation, thereby facilitating a precise cut. Additionally, the stabilizing material may make the fabric easier to handle/manipulate during the cutting process (e.g., by an operator of the cutting system).

Additionally, or alternatively, the cutting system as described herein may cut the fabric with no or minimal fraying. The ultrasonic cutter may seal the edges of the cut, which may not be sealed by sharpened cutters and/or laser cutters. For example, the fibers of the fabric may bond or melt together more effectively with an ultrasonic cut than with a laser cut. A sharpened cutter (e.g., a blade cutter) may leave a raw cut edge which can fray over time. The ultrasonic cutter may also be less expensive than a laser cutter.

In various embodiments, the cutting system may include a pair of dispensers that feed the stabilizing material. A first dispenser may feed a first layer of stabilizing material on a first side (e.g., a top side) of the fabric, while a second dispenser may feed a second layer of stabilizing material on a second side (e.g., a bottom side) of the fabric. The dispensers may include a roller to feed the stabilizing material automatically from a roll of stabilizing material as the puller wheel of the ultrasonic cutter rotates. Other embodiments may include only one layer of stabilizing material, disposed on either the top or bottom side of the fabric, although two layers may be preferable. Two layers of stabilizing material may be especially suitable for fabrics which are light and/or stretchy. When two layers of stabilizing material are utilized, the material may be the same, or two different materials may be used.

In some embodiments, the first dispenser and second dispenser may be vertically separated, leaving a gap between the first layer of stabilizing material and second layer of stabilizing material at a feed end of the cutting machine. For example, the second dispenser may feed the bottom layer of stabilizing material along the cutting surface of the cutting machine, while the first dispenser may feed the top layer of stabilizing material from above the cutting surface. The fabric may be inserted into the feed end of the cutting machine in the gap between the layers of stabilizing material. Accordingly, pieces and/or portions of fabric may be fed into the cutting machine and cut without adjusting the dispensers and/or stabilizing material.

In other embodiments, the fabric may be pre-lined with the stabilizing material on one or both sides. For example, a sheet of fabric between two sheets of stabilizing material may be disposed on a dispenser (e.g., in a roll) to be fed together into the ultrasonic cutter.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a cutting system 100 in accordance with various embodiments. A cutting machine 102 includes a cutting element 104 and a puller wheel 108. In some embodiments, the cutting element 104 may be a cutting wheel, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The cutting wheel may have a ridge (not shown) that cuts the fabric when the cutting wheel is actuated. The ridge may be any suitable shape, such as a straight line to make a straight cut, or shaped to make a non-linear cut. Other embodiments of the cutting machine 102 may include another suitable type of cutting element 104, such as a blade.

The cutting system 100 further includes a top dispenser 109 to feed a top layer 110 of stabilizing material and a bottom dispenser 111 to feed a bottom layer 112 of stabilizing material. The stabilizing material may be any suitable material, such as paper and/or fabric. The top layer 110 and bottom layer 112 of stabilizing material are fed into a feed end 114 of the cutting machine 102. The puller wheel 108 pulls the top layer 110 and bottom layer 112 through a cutting region 115 of the ultrasonic cutting machine 102 (e.g., below the cutting element 104) along a cutting surface of a cutting platform 116 of the ultrasonic cutting machine 102. The bottom layer 112 is fed into the feed end 114 on a plane substantially even with the cutting surface of the cutting platform 116, while the top layer 110 is fed into the feed end 114 from above the cutting surface, thereby leaving a gap between the top layer 110 and bottom layer 112 of stabilizing material at the feed end 114.

In some embodiments, the cutting machine 102 may be an ultrasonic cutting machine that vibrates the cutting element 104 and/or cutting platform 116, at an ultrasonic frequency. For example, the ultrasonic cutting machine may include an ultrasonic horn (e.g., ultrasonic horn 206 shown in FIG. 2) to apply ultrasonic energy to the cutting element 104 and/or cutting platform 116. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic horn may be disposed below the cutting region 115. In other embodiments, the ultrasonic horn may be disposed in another suitable location in system 100.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a fabric 118 is inserted through the feed end 114 of the cutting surface 116, between the top layer 110 and bottom layer 112 of stabilizing material. The fabric 118 is pulled through the cutting region 115 of the cutting machine 102 by the puller wheel 108. The cutting element 104 may be selectively engaged with the fabric 118 to cut the fabric along a cutting line. The ultrasonic horn 106 may apply ultrasonic energy to the cutting wheel 104 to vibrate the cutting wheel 104 at an ultrasonic frequency. The top layer 110 and bottom layer 112 of stabilizing material may prevent/reduce stretching in the fabric 118 during the cut, thereby facilitating a precise cutting length.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified block diagram showing an ultrasonic cutting system 200. The ultrasonic cutting system 200 includes an ultrasonic cutting machine 202 with a cutting platform 216 defining a cutting surface. A first dispenser 220 is disposed above the cutting surface to dispense a top layer 210 of stabilizing material, and a second dispenser 222 disposed adjacent the cutting surface to dispense a bottom layer 212 of stabilizing material. The ultrasonic cutting machine 202 further includes a cutting wheel 204, an ultrasonic horn 206, and a puller wheel 208. A fabric 218 is shown being fed into a feed end 214 of the ultrasonic cutting machine 202.

The ultrasonic horn 206 is shown disposed under the cutting surface of the cutting platform 216, directly under the cutting wheel 204. In other embodiments, the ultrasonic horn 206 may be disposed in another suitable location in the ultrasonic cutting system 200. The ultrasonic horn 206 may apply ultrasonic energy to the cutting machine 202, which may vibrate one or more components of the ultrasonic cutting system 200, such as the cutting wheel 204 and/or cutting platform 216.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cutting system, comprising: a cutting machine configured to receive a fabric at a feed end, the cutting machine including a cutting element configured to selectively engage the fabric to cut the fabric; a dispenser configured to feed a layer of stabilizing material on a top or bottom side of the fabric; and a puller wheel configured to pull the stabilizing material through a cutting region of the cutter.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispenser is a first dispenser configured to feed a first layer of stabilizing material on the top side of the fabric, and wherein the cutting system further comprises: a second dispenser configured to feed a second layer of stabilizing material on the bottom side of the fabric.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first dispenser and second dispenser are vertically separated to form a gap between the first layer and second layer of stabilizing material at the feed end of the cutting machine.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the cutting machine is configured to receive the fabric in the gap.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing material is paper.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing material is more rigid than the fabric.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cutting machine is an ultrasonic cutting machine configured to vibrate the cutting element at an ultrasonic frequency.
 8. A method for cutting a fabric comprising: feeding, from a dispenser, a stabilizing material through a cutting region of a cutting machine, wherein the stabilizing material is automatically fed through the cutting region; feeding a fabric into the cutting region over or under the stabilizing material; lowering a cutting element of the cutting machine to selectively cut the fabric.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dispenser is a first dispenser, and wherein feeding the stabilizing material includes feeding a first layer of stabilizing material configured to be on a top side of the fabric in the cutting region, and wherein the method further includes feeding, from a second dispenser a second layer of stabilizing material configured to be on a bottom side of the fabric in the cutting region.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first dispenser and second dispenser are vertically separated to form a gap between the first layer and second layer of stabilizing material at the feed end of the cutting machine.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the feeding the fabric into the cutting region includes feeding the fabric through the gap.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the stabilizing material is paper.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the stabilizing material is more rigid than the fabric.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the cutting machine is an ultrasonic cutting machine configured to vibrate the cutting element at an ultrasonic frequency. 